US President Donald Trump has warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of deaths in the coming days, as the number of confirmed cases there surged to 313,000, which is the highest in the world.

In New York state alone, the US epicentre, the death toll jumped over the past 24 hours to over 4,100.

New York is the hardest-hit state with more than 40 per cent of all US deaths and nearly 115,000 reported cases on Saturday. Close to 8,500 have died across the US, according to a Reuters tally.

The United States enters one of the most critical weeks so far in the coronavirus crisis with the death toll exploding in New York, Michigan and Louisiana and some governors calling for a national order to stay at home.

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned on Fox News Sunday that hard times were ahead but “there is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days”.

“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly. This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized,” he said. “It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.” Places such as Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, DC are starting to see rising deaths. The White House coronavirus task force warned this is not the time to go to the grocery store or other public places.